Modules as Objects in Newspeak

Abstract. We describe support for modularity in Newspeak, a programming language descended from Smalltalk [33] and Self [69]. Like Self, all computation — even an object’s own access to its internal structure — is performed by invoking methods on objects. However, like Smalltalk, Newspeak is class-based. Classes can be nested arbitrarily, as in Beta [44]. Since all names denote method invocations, all classes are virtual; in particular, superclasses are virtual, so all classes act as mixins. Unlike its predecessors, there is no static state in Newspeak, nor is there a global namespace. Modularity in Newspeak is based exclusively on class nesting. There are no separate modularity constructs such as packages. Top level classes act as module definitions, which are independent, immutable, self-contained parametric namespaces. They can be instantiated into modules which may be stateful and mutually recursive.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: ECOOP
• Authors: Gilad Bracha, Peter von der Ahé, Vassili Bykov, Yaron Kashai, William Maddox, Eliot Miranda
• Keywords: ECOOP 2010, Names Denote Method, Programming Languages, Self-contained Parametric Namespaces, Separate Modularity Constructs